killzonefandomcom-20200223-history
Helghan Empire
The Helghan Empire is an oligarchy, the ruling government of the planet Helghan and are the primary antagonists of the series. The founder and first ruler of the Empire was Scolar Visari. The formation of the Helghan Empire occurred after the First Helghan War against the ISA and the human race. The people of the Helghan Empire live under heavy amounts of fascist dogma. Helghast leaders, including Scolar Visari, continue to impose the belief that the Helgan race is superior to the human race, creating not only a distrust of humanity, but also an expanding hatred of UCN, ISA, and any form of foreign rule, dominance and influence and instead viewing them as evil to due to an oppressive Earth-loyal rule before Visari took power. Ironically, they think of themselves as the race who should be ruling the perceived "lesser" human race. History Following the First Extrasolar War, the Helghan Corporation was dismantled and all of it's assets seized by the UCN. Vekta, once a planetary holding of the now-defunct Helghan Corporation, was turned over to direct ISA rule, and colonists from Earth were brought in to supplement Vekta's corporate-affiliated population. However, tensions soon rose between the Earth minority and Helghan corporate majority, resulting in Helghan resistance fighters targeting and killing many Earth-loyal citizens in terrorist attacks. This forced the ISA governor to enact more and more economic sanctions and military punishments on the Helghan-affiliated colonists in retribution for the Helghan persecution of Earth-loyal colonists. In the face of brutal draconian laws and punishments, the Helghan loyalists eventually stopped their persecution of Earth-loyal colonists. By 2220, all Helghan corporate colonists had chosen voluntary relocation to planet Helghan, where years of hardship awaited them. The Helghan settlements recreated the former Helghan Authority to rule over all affairs on Helghan, but this rule was often inefficent and corrupt. Their Helghan colonists' human bodies were also mutated by the harsh environment of Helghan, resulting in most of the first generation dying only a short while after they arrived in the system. However, by 2305, future generations had evolved an increased biological resistance to the harsh atmospheric conditions, some even discarding the common breathing masks that many colonists still relied upon. In 2330, Helghan was hit by a major economic depression, allowing Scolar Visari to rise to power. In 2347 Visari staged a successful coup against the ruling Helghan Administration, which declared him the "Autarch". He created the more sophisticated Helghast ideology based on Helghan superiority. He re-established hostilities with the ISA in his bid to retake Vekta and exact revenge on the UCN, and this conflict is now known as the Second Extrasolar War. During the War, the Helghast tried to invade Vekta but the invasion failed. The ISA then launched a retaliatory invasion against Helghan and assaulted the planet by establishing a beachhead at Phyrrus in bid to conquer the capital city, detain Scolar Visari, and bring a swift end to the war. During the first hours of D-Day for the second wave, the Helghast forces set up a defensive perimeter consisting of Arc Pillars. After the Arc Pillars destroyed Avenger Convoy, which was en route to Visari Palace to capture the Autarch, the ISA decided it was best not to move forward as such an action would only result in more losses. Meanwhile, Alpha team was sent to find the source of the Pillars' power. After finding a Petrusite Grid under the Maelstra Barrens, the ISA Fleet tried to destroy the Grid, but was beset by a surprise attack by a Helghast armada in a daring raid to obtain the Nuclear Launch codes for several ISA nuclear warheads captured by the Helghast in their failed invasion of Vekta. However, the New Sun destroyed the Petrusite Grid, deactivating almost all defenses in Phyrrus, the capital city. Yet, the Helghast obtained the nuclear launch codes and detonated an nuclear warhead on Phyrrus, killing all the ISA and Helghast forces within the city. In a desperate effort to end the war, the remaining ISA forces launched a daring raid against Visari Palace during which they destroyed a massive Arc battery in Visari Square, fighting their way to the palace courtyard and front entrance in a relentless attack. Thereafter, ISA commandos Rico and Sev fought their way through the last of Visari's forces within Visari Palace itself, killing Colonel Radec, military leader of the Helghast troops and personal bodyguard of Scolar Visari himself. Afterwards, Rico and Sev stormed Visari's throne room to arrest him, but Visari was killed by an enraged Rico. Before he died, Visari swore that he would be seen as a martyr if he was to be killed and that "Helghan will dissolve into Chaos"; that is exactly what happened. Helghan fell into a state of civil war as different political factions rose to claim power. The remaining ISA fleet was destroyed in the process, with the remaining ISA forces were stranded on Helghan with no way of receiving any further aid, and no transportation off planet Helghan. Thus far, the two major rivals for power on Helghan are the Helghast Military and the main Helghast weapons manufacturer, Stahl Arms. Military The Helghast peoples' lives of extreme hardship naturally make them hardened soldiers. Most of Helghan's fiscal and natural resources go towards the military, leaving little for domestic development. The Helghan military's primary tactics primarily relate to the implementation of vicious, rapidly sweeping surgical strikes reliant on the element of surprise, leaving little in the way of defense except in the direst of circumstances. However, the Second Extrasolar War has shown that the Helghast military is adept in defensive tactics as well, springing numerous traps and ambushes on unwary ISA forces. * Light Soldier - The weakest of all the Helghast, but also the fastest. They usually carry assault rifles, but sometimes they carry grenades and pistols. * Soldier common type of Helghast, they are rarely found alone or even in pairs, preferring to work in larger groups. * Squad Leaders - These soldiers are a little tougher than base soldiers and usually carry a chain gun or pistol. They wear gray shoulder pads and their respirators do not have air hoses attached to them. * Snipers - Helghast troopers trained to eliminate enemies from a distance. Very few of them are actually in the game (Killzone for PS2). They are recognized by the red scope goggles they wear as well as camouflaged armor. As their name states, they carry sniper rifles, but switch to pistols when the player gets close. They are about as tough as base soldiers. * Elite Soldiers - These start to appear about midway through the game and are typically armed with light machine guns. They are very strong and are much more resilient than base soldiers. They are often found with Base Soldiers. Elites do not wear helmets, but they do wear the iconic orange goggles. * Assault Soldiers - Also appearing later, these are much tougher than Elites but slow moving due to their distinctive armor, which makes them incredibly resistant to damage.Also, they are considerably more difficult to kill as they sometimes carry grenade launchers and they are significantly more resistant to melee attacks and gunfire. * Heavy Soldiers Heavy Soldiers are big brutes who serve as the muscle of the helghan empire. They are slow but very strong and they carry chainguns. Their weak point is the gas tanks on their backs. *'Base Commanders' - These are as strong as an Elite but are very rare, and appear to help raise troop morale. Base commanders are easily recognized by their bright red robes and lack of helmets. They commonly carry pistols. * Bodyguards - Only seen almost at the end of the game, the Bodyguards are the strongest enemy in the game. They are intelligent, seek cover when injured and look for opportunities to ambush the player. They usually are seen carrying chain guns. * Sentry Bots - These flying gun platforms attack with dual machine guns. They are not well-armored but can be hard to hit because of their lateral movement. They are encountered about half way through the game. When they are destroyed, they explode, dealing moderate damage to all things close by. *'Bounty Hunter' - Only appears once in the game, when Templar and his team encounter a heavily defended beacon. The Bounty Hunter (as referred to on the Vekta Today website) uses a laser designator to co-ordinate artillery onto the team, but is about as tough as a Base Soldier. *'Guard Dogs' - Helghast Attack Dogs were introduced in Killzone: Liberation for the PSP. The dogs sport armor similar to the base Helghast soldier, even down to the iconic orange goggles, adjusted for the dogs' eyes. Their weapon is their razor sharp teeth. *'Spider Mines' - Spider Mines were also introduced in Killzone: Liberation. These mines are robotic spiders that chase after any living thing, whether it be friend or foe until it blows up when it gets close to a target. *'Supreme Trooper' - The supreme troopers function as support units and personal guards for General Metrac. Dressed in their experimental servo-assisted armor, and brandishing heavy VnS-10B Cerberus chainguns and pneumatic manipulator arms, they resemble nothing but a walking tank. And appear only in Killzone Liberation. *'Air Trooper' - These soldiers make use of SL-06 prototype personal jet propulsion systems that give these troopers mobility to fly across the battlefield. Production was ordered by General Metrac himself after seeing the devices effectiveness. *'Pyro Troopers' - Appearing in Killzone: Liberation, these troopers are armed with flamethrowers and are used to remove hostiles from bunkers and trenches. They are also equipped with fire-proof suits that protect them from the flames, however, they may still be killed by explosions. *'Shock Troopers' - Also appearing in Killzone: Liberation, these soldiers were chosen by General Metrac to swiftly intercept and eliminate enemies at close range. They are armed with machine pistols. Beliefs and traits The Helghan Empire's fascist ideals emphasize the superiority of the Helghast, a strong military, and total commitment to the Helghast government. Their ideals are summed up by the Helghast Triad, which emphasizes duty, obedience, and loyalty. Helghan brutality is not directly shown in the Killzone releases, but in the open sequence of Killzone it is shown they do not hesitate to execute those who are not born up to standards or who sympathize with humanity. Prisoners of the Helghan Empire are often tortured to death, showing the sadistic habits of their soldiers. The military is above all the most prized element of the Helghan Empire. Most of the resources of the Helghan Nation is spent on the military and Visari's propaganda-related structures in Pyrrhus, and sympathy with Helghast civilians is rarely spent. The military commanders themselves feel little compassion to the civilians and miners of Helghan, let alone any shown to those of Vekta and anywhere else in the galaxy, and are not fettered by traditional morals even towards their own soldiers. The Helghast military's extensive damage infilicted towards Vekta, and the detonation of a nuke in their own capital of Pyrrhus shows their deep hatred for human life and complete disregard for collateral damage, only having a total commitment to their objectives no matter the cost. Related *Scolar Visari *Helghan *Helghan Corporation Category:Helghast